The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1887-10-06
WASTE Elm FEEDING.
Facts Which Farmers in the Ol:er States
Should Consider ThouGhtfuiIy.

1
1t seems as Though ''was;e" was tho
motto of many farmers. They literally
throw away their capital. Fodder is
capital. and it is flung about the barn
yard as il it was - worthless com.
| modify; and It is trCddcn under foot,
scattered around and wasted on every
side. This is not the way other bust
ness men handle their assets; they save
them. and try to turn them into the
most money.
1t seems TO be the rule to feed animals
at Il loss. Nothing should ever be fed
in a barnyard. The stable is the place,
and in Il tight manger, where nothing
can be wasted. Too much fodder is
piled up in front OF animals for then
10 breathe upon. When this is the
case, -they will not eat it until they are
very hungry. They should have just
what they viii eat up clean. If given
more than this. they will pick it over
and eat the best parts, and the rest will
90 to waste. We were feeding some
bright clover and timothy hay 10 \ loi
Of calves and vearlings, and when given
Il manager full more than half was left in
| the manger and went to waste; when
given half as much. they ate it all
The stems ware coarse bat good, and
too valuable to so directly to the
manure pile.
On some farms enough straw is
wasted to make handsome income.
All straw is poor food, as it lacks in
both the elements OF growth and fat
The proportions are so small that
animals can not eat enough to make
much gain. They will live on il, but
the farmer wants more. By the addi-
ton of little meal. the straw can be
sold in a good market on the farm, ana
be had for manure at the same time.
This is Just what the farmer wants, to
convert into Il fertilizer all the fodder
ana grain he can which has paid good
profit upon itself in other ways, as meat,
butter or cheese. When this is done,
the farm will always be profitable.
| have often said | would be willing
to buy tons of food for animals if it
paid for itself in the meat it would
make, and leave ne the manure clear
for the labor. have paid out thou
sands of dollars on this basis 1t works
well when meats are rs high compara-
lively as grain, but does not leave
much margin. Unless undervery favor
able circumstances the rule is the other
way. The fresh meat shipments have
upset the profits of such a system at
present in the East. With OK beef
worth no more than four and half
cents pound live weight, one can not
now buy feed and make beef and keep
even. The farmer who has the fodder
can winter cattle and feed them on
grass and make Il gain.
Another common mistake with many
is to try to winter too many animals on
the amount of fodder in store The re-
suit is, they all come out poor, and it
takes half of the summers feed to get
them back to the condition they were in
when the winter began. Here is loss
of the winters keep and half of the
summers. and the only profit there is
during the year is that had during the
last part of the grass feeding. L insist
that # my animals, except the old ones,
do not grow all winter, 1 am losing
money. What am feeding for if they
do not gain in size and weight? Older
cattle should not lose in condition, and
if they chance to be cows, they should
return milk for their food during the
greater part of the foddering season.
This is not the case with the majority
of native cows. and right here is one of
the principal benefits of thoroughbred
cows, and most decidedly of Jerseys,
that they will give milk nearly the
year round. and this big lack of income
for four or five months does not occur.
4 COW well fed does not need to 90
drv more than a month and half or Two
months. a starved cow should go dry
az of the time. The time was when
the Eastern farmer could feed cattle in
the. winter with a rising market, and
there was n double margin-a gain IN
weight and gain in price. This is
not so now, and | would not advise an
attempt ut fattening beeveS in winter,
but a thrifty wintering for summer top
ing of. Beef can be made on grass for
two or three cents pound, but not less
than for five or six cents, live weight,
in winter, on the market value of nay
and grain. Such is my experience. l
thought that if other farmers could
afford to feed cattle and sheep for
slaughter on their hay and grain.
could buy the feed and make something
too, and get the manure. l have this
winter given it up. A farmer can
afford to feed his own, when another,
to buy, can not do it. The margins
are against the man who buys. After
all of the care and business sense which
Il man may practice, if he is neglectfui
of conditions, he will fail. The ami
ma!s must be kept warm, and al tho
other sanitary conditions must be OF
the best to insure success. Successful
farming is far frOni 70 lis business =
+. D. Curtis, in Country Gentleman
Wages of Sewing Women.